ING and BBVA Put Travel eSIMs Inside Their Banking Apps in 2026: What Travelers Should Check First

Two of Europe's biggest banks made the same move on the same day. On November 2, 2026, ING and BBVA each announced a travel eSIM that customers can buy and activate directly from their banking app. Both launches are powered by Gigs, the San Francisco company that already runs embedded mobile services for Revolut, Klarna, Cash App and Motorola.

What happened

ING launched its eSIM in the Netherlands first. According to the announcement, Poland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, Romania, Turkey and Australia will follow, which makes it a nine-market rollout. The eSIM is part of ING's new tiered subscription model, which bundles everyday banking with lifestyle benefits. "With ING eSIM, we're making it easier for customers to stay connected when they travel," said Sali Salieski, ING's Global Head of Private Individuals Banking.

BBVA went live in Italy. The service is open to customers who are over 18, live in Italy, hold a BBVA online current account and have an eSIM-compatible phone. BBVA says the eSIM only needs to be installed once and can be reused for future plans. Inside the app, customers pick a destination and data allowance, activate with a tap, and can track usage, get alerts, buy more data and contact support. BBVA says it may extend the service to other markets.

Why it matters for travelers

This is the clearest sign yet that the travel eSIM is becoming a feature of other apps, not just a standalone product. We already saw it with Revolut's mobile plans and with airlines, cards and hotels bundling data (see our coverage of banks turning into mobile carriers and the travel eSIMs you did not buy). Now two large retail banks, with millions of customers between them, are doing it.

For travelers, the upside is convenience: one app for paying abroad, tracking spending and getting online. BBVA pairs the eSIM with 0% FX fees on its debit card abroad and a trip budgeting tool called MyTrips. Gigs CEO Hermann Frank put it simply: travelers "don't want to juggle different apps for every part of their trip."

What the announcements do not say

Neither release lists prices per GB, plan lengths, the number of destinations covered, or which local networks the eSIM connects to. Those are the details that decide whether a travel eSIM is a good deal, so it is worth checking them in the app before you buy:

• Price per GB and validity. A bundled eSIM is only convenient if it is not much more expensive than a dedicated provider.
• Access rules. ING ties the eSIM to its subscription tiers; BBVA limits it to Italian residents with an online account. If you lose the account or change tier, ask what happens to your remaining data.
• Coverage and network. Ask which carrier you will use in each country, and whether 5G and hotspot sharing are included.
• Data only. These are data plans. You will not get a local number for calls or SMS, so keep your home line active for bank codes.
• Support. In-app support is a plus, but check the hours and language before you depend on it abroad.

How to decide

If you already bank with ING or BBVA and travel lightly, the in-app eSIM may be the easiest option: no new account, no new payment details. If you travel often, need a lot of data, or visit places outside the bank's list, compare it with dedicated travel eSIM providers such as HOLASIM, Airalo or Holafly, which publish prices per destination up front and support more countries.

Whatever you pick, the basics stay the same: confirm your phone is eSIM-compatible and unlocked, install the eSIM on Wi-Fi before you leave, and switch it on when you land. The number of places selling travel data keeps growing, which is good news for prices, as long as you compare before you tap buy.